Chapter 21. Using Open Directory
In This Chapter
Introduction to Open Directory
Planning directory services
Directory services setup and configuration
Managing and monitoring directory services
Mac OS X Server uses Open Directory to handle its network directory services, which act as a central store for information about users, groups, computers, and other network resources in an organization.
As an authoritative repository of network information, the directory services records Open Directory makes available are used to:
Enable users and services to look up available network resources, such as printers, web servers, or file system mounts
Authenticate users' identities for login to network systems and to access services
Allow services to obtain authenticated users' identity information, enabling the services to evaluate requested access authorization
Provide and manage account details for network users, such as their mail service configuration, home folder settings, and quota limitations on print, mail, and home folder shares
Enforce managed preferences settings to define and restrict the configuration and environment allowed for network users, groups, and computers
In addition to serving as the primary network directory domain for Mac OS X Server, Open Directory also acts as the abstraction layer that sits between processes that need directory information and various sources of that information, which may include:
Any number of different Open Directory domains on the network
Third-party LDAP ...
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